Green Technology

There will be a presentation by John Regalbuto, Professor UIC about Green Technology.

John comments that in the last few years NSF (National Science Foundation) has been at the lead in promoting a new cellulosic biofuels paradigm:  green gasoline.  Recent advances in catalysis and biocatalysis hold great promise for new pathways to the mass production of next generation non-food hydrocarbon biofuels: gasoline, diesel and jet fuel mass produced from switchgrass, forest waste, and agricultural residue.  The potential advantages of hydrocarbon production from lignocelluosic feedstocks will be discussed vis-à-vis cellulosic ethanol, the newest pathways will be outlined, and recent concern about lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from biofuel production will be addressed.

When & Where:
Tuesday, (4/19/11) 7:00 PM, Schaumburg Library at Roselle and Schaumburg Roads in the Rasmussen Room

Stay or Go?

I recently saw on TV that College Illinois Prepaid Tuition program is underfunded.  It suffered a deficit due to a miscalculation in the percent rise of college costs and the interest predicted on investments.  The knee jerk reaction of many was to remove their funds before the program collapsed.  I am invested in this fund and chose to remove my funds as well.  It is my belief the fund is a great opportunity to send your children to college.  One must weigh and balance the opportunity risks.  The cost of the risk is the opportunity foregone.  At consideration is possibly losing a great deal of money, or the possibility of a locked in tuition.  While there are more details that are left out, this is the essential choice.  I am a calculated risk taker and chose to place the funds in a differently managed risk.  One key factor was the reputation of the management and their track record.  My gut instinct is that College Illinois will pull out of this fiasco, but I made a more conservative choice.  The question I ask you is this:  What have you done today to ensure your reputation is the highest in your industry?  What metrics have you employed to garner your track record?  Have you taken a look at your business or personal action plans lately?  Are your customer's in the process of trying to decide whether to stay or go?